Epiphany
by Starlight841
Summary: When did she become Elizabeth Bennet, desperately in love with the man she swore to hate for all eternity? He was arrogant, selfish, immature… fun, smart, sweet, romantic… He was Mr. Darcy. He was her Mr. Darcy. The Real Paul Anka.


Hello everyone! Yes, I know...this isn't Kissmet _but_ I have half of the next chapter typed. I might get it up tomorrow but, as you all probably know, the DVD's come out so I'm not making any promises. Lol.

Anyway...since I was done writing the next chapter of Kissmet and I had absolutely _nothing_ to do in Study Hall today (strange) I decided to do something different and I _really_ surprised myself. I pretty much loved it. So, I finished it at home and here ya go. It's set at the end of _The Real Paul Anka_ and is slightly AU. It is a Rogan though so don't be worried and it's a one-shot so there won't be any long drawn out angst or anything like that. It's happy. It's also very Lit friendly because, although a Rogan fan at heart, I love Jess. I always have. But at the end of the day I think Rory and Logan belong together so...it _is _a Rogan.

Like I said it's a one-shot. But hey...if I get alot of reviews maybe I'll write an epilouge? It's up to you guys. Tell me what you think.

**Summary: **When did she become Elizabeth Bennet, desperately in love with the man she swore to hate for all eternity? He was arrogant, selfish, cruel, immature… fun, adventurous, smart, witty, sweet, romantic… He was Mr. Darcy. He was _her_ Mr. Darcy. The Real Paul Anka.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Gilmore Girls...or Pride and Prejudice...or Oliver Twist...or any other random novels/movies/things I makes referances to in this story...how sad for me.

**Epiphany**

She heard the familiar jingle of the door close behind her, noting the charming irony-that he would install such a testament to his uncle in his own store. She knew, better that anyone, how much he truly appreciated everything, how much he loved everything-everyone. Now, though, it was documented.

_To the best man a guy could know- uncle-friend-father…Thank you, Luke. For everything. _

Jess was an amazing person. He was so understanding, grateful, intelligent. He had changed so much from the angry James Dean everyone remembered. She always knew him better than that though.

She was content in knowing that she was one of the few people who knew the real Jess-the caring Jess-the happy Jess-the sweet Jess- the Jess who looked up the exact distance from Yale to Stars Hollow just so he would know how far away she would be- the Jess who snuck out of the Bracebridge dinner and destroyed the fancy snowman so snow-Bjork would win- the Jess who brought her enough food to feed a third-world country when her mother was out of town, insisting that it was Luke the whole time-the Jess who rearranged the movies behind the "Rory Curtain" to aid her censorship protest-the Jess who went out of his way to open the diner for his Great Uncle Louis' wake…

No one had seen those things, no one but her. Even Luke, though he sensed a semblance of responsibility hidden somewhere within the young man's soul, had never witnessed it first hand, not like Rory.

Rory had fallen in love with him and fallen hard. She could remember the night he first tugged at her heart, although at the time she would never admit it to herself. He had stolen her copy of _Howl. _She had called him Dodger. She was his Nancy. And he had effortlessly turned Dean, the ever-caring, wonderful boyfriend, into Bill Sikes.

Then, the tears came.

Her knees lost all semblance of strength. She could no longer stand on her own, pulled to the ground by the ever present force of gravity. Her back was leaned against the door and she drew her knees to her chest in a fetal position and cried, paying no attention to the concerned looks of passer-by's. She cried for herself. She cried for Logan. She cried for her mother-for Luke-for Jess. Mainly, she was crying for Jess.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. She was supposed to come here, see him, and fall inexplicably in love all over again, just like she had the first time. He was supposed to say something wonderful, sarcastic, just a little vulgar-maybe even offensive. She was supposed to laugh, agree, be enlightened, be interested-shocked-intrigued. He was still Dodger. And she came here to be Nancy again. She came here to make Logan her Bill.

What went wrong?

She used to picture herself marrying Jess, raising his children. It was always a completely natural thought to her-Mom and Luke-Rory and Jess. It fit, like one of those 3-D jigsaw puzzles, perfect yet slightly different than the standard cardboard variety. It would have been happy-wonderful-beautiful. She remembered closing her eyes and seeing them at home late at night talking about books, movies, and music. She imagined kissing a series of dark heads as they brought home 'A' report cards, heaven knows with Rory and Jess' combined intellect they would have been the smartest in their class. Just thinking about it brought tears to her eyes.

So why then was the child in her dreams, beaming with pride at his report card, blessed with a head of messy blond hair and instead of brown?

Why, instead of pushing his success to the side, not wanting to be the center of attention, was he sporting a confident smirk and a playful twinkle in his eye?

Why was she rolling her eyes in mock annoyance at his cocky attitude before kissing him briefly on the forehead, instead of trying to convince him that it was, in fact, a _big deal_?

When she hung the repot card on the refrigerator, much to his protest, why did her eyes linger on the name 'Huntzberger' printed in the top right corner and not 'Mariano'?

When the garage door opened night after night and he screamed 'Daddy!' why did he run into the waiting embrace of Logan and not Jess?

Why did his tiny pink fist wrap around Logan's pinky moments after his birth, causing tears of pride to well _his_ eyes and not Jess'?

Why did the hands that caressed her body lovingly, the kisses that tickled her skin, and the name that slipped from her lips at the moment of his conception all belong to Logan and not Jess?

Why was she erupting in a fit of giggles, trying to get away from being attacked by her wedding cake as Logan tried to force the dessert in her face, instead of Jess bringing it closer to her, only to pull it away quickly over and over again?

Why could she close her eyes and hear the chords of _Moon River_ playing in the background as they took their first dance as husband and wife?

Why were the faces standing behind her groom that of Colin and Finn?

Why did her father shake Logan's hand at the altar?

Why did she still love him?

Why didn't she love Jess?

She was supposed to love Jess. It's why she came here. She came here to hurt Logan like he had hurt her. She came here to fall back in love with Jess. But she couldn't. Why couldn't she be Nancy again? Why couldn't she run?

No matter how hard she tried he pulled her back, refusing to give up. He loved her, despite his mother's rejection, his father's harsh words, he continued to love her. And he was too damn stubborn to let her get away. He had the harness that was tied around her waist the day of the jump secured around her heart. And every time she started to fall too far he tugged on the rope, bringing her back to him-bringing her home.

When did she cross the border from the land of Dickens to Austen? When did she become Elizabeth Bennet, desperately in love with the man she swore to hate for all eternity? He was arrogant, selfish, cruel, immature… fun, adventurous, smart, witty, sweet, romantic… He was Mr. Darcy. He was _her_ Mr. Darcy.

She loved him.

It all came down to that simple fact.

It's why the feeling of nausea settled in her stomach as the lips that she once longed for covered hers. It's why the moment she closed her eyes his face popped in her mind, knowing that his were the only lips she wanted to taste. When she broke away she knew. Dodger was a boy. Nancy was dead. There was no happily ever after for them.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and stood after finally gathering her strength. Her phone started to vibrate, as it had been all night. She had been ignoring it. She knew who it was. He wouldn't be able to live with himself after the way they left things. But she didn't want to answer. She wanted to make-believe that he didn't care-that he was fine with the fact that he had walked out the door without so much as an 'I love you'. She took out the phone, noticing that she had six text messages and one voice mail.

"_Rory…its me. I um…well…I'm sitting here in the airport and I just…I wanted to tell you that I…I hate this. I hate that I'm afraid of telling you that I love you. I love you, Rory. I know y-you probably don't care right now…s-so um…anyway-uh…I just wanted to tell you that before I left, just so you kn-know…right…I love you."_

As she brought the phone down from her ear a tear fell upon the screen. She checked the text messages, telling her that his flight had been delayed over the night and he was just getting ready to board the plane.

Was life really just a series of random moments? Or was there such a thing as fate?

Were three witches purposely weaving this opportunity into her tapestry? Did the next few feet of Logan's feature palm trees and cliffs?

She pressed number two on her speed dial, second only to her mother, and placed the ear to her phone. He answered. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the airport, she could hear the rumblings of jets, murmurs over the intercom, and one that frightened her the most.

"_Last call for flight 592 to Costa Rica" _

No. He couldn't leave. He had to stay. She needed him to stay. She needed to tell him, in person, that she loved him-show him she loved him. She could hear the exasperated voices of Colin and Finn, urging him through the boarding hall. He spoke to them, telling them to hold on for a minute.

"Ace?"

"Logan…"

"_Logan, mate, we _need _to go!" _

"Are you okay? What's up?"

"_Sir, I need to see your ticket."_

"Y-yea, just a minute. Rory…"

"Logan I…"

"_Huntz, come on! If I miss this flight, you die!" _

"I was just calling to tell you that I…"

"_Sir, are you getting on the plane or not?"_

"I…"

"No!" Rory shouted.

"What?" Logan asked.

"Don't get on the plane. Don't go. Stay. Come home. Please, come home. I love you, Logan. I love you so much. I'm so sorry. Please, I need you."

"Rory I can't just…"

"Don't go…_please _don't go."

Silence filled the air between them as tears fell down Rory's cheeks like waterfalls.

"Uh Finn…Colin…you're going to have to handle that jump without me. I'm going home." She could hear nothing else but the sound of his voice at that moment. All else was gone the people in the street, Colin, Finn, the planes. It was just him, telling her he was coming home-telling her they were finally going to be happy again.

"I love you, Ace."

"I love you too, Fitz."

"Is this some new nick-name I have yet to learn about?" Logan asked. "Or are you getting me mixed up with your other boyfriend."

"No, no mix up. You're exactly who I think you are, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy." She said with a smile, not seeing that Logan's face mirrored hers.

"Well, in that case, I'll see you at home, Lizzy."

"You know since 'Ace' is already taken for every day use I think you should only call me Lizzy when you're completely, perfectly, and incandescently happy." She said in a horrible tear ridden English accent.

"As you wish, _Lizzy._"

"I love you"

"I love you more"

"I'm gonna go now…"

"What if I don't want you to go?"

As the newly made up couple continued their saccharine dialogue over the phone Rory took one more glance at Truncheon Books. She smiled and tilted her head to the window where she saw Jess looking down at her. He winked and dropped something which she caught in her hands. She smiled-_Almost Famous _on DVD. She opened it, noticing it was heavier than normal and pulled out a wad of papers.

Inside were letters-to her-dated from the summer between her freshman and senior year, a tattered photograph of them that she thought she had lost, and lastly notes-notes that bore two names she recognized, Rory Gilmore-herself, obviously, and Lana Grey-the love interest in his novel. He wrote a book for her. She looked up again to thank him but he was gone.

"Ace? You okay? You spaced out there." Logan asked. Rory smiled again and placed the papers back in the case.

"I'm perfect."


End file.
